Multicontact semiconductor translating device



July 7,1953 R. J. KIRCHER 2,644,914

uULTIcomfAc'r snucoNDucToR: TBANSLATING DEvIcl-z Filed Aug. 17. 1949 :asusta-sheet 1 FIG.` l

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIII Blf/4M y v July 7,"1953 R. '.l. KIRCHER 2,644,914

j AUL'rIcoNTAc'r smrcouvucroa mnsunuc DEVICE A Filed Aus. 17, 189 2 sheets-Shasta FIG. 6

n I9 l l 1| J3 2 l E E n n n u u n 1 L A u/ ourpur A 7' TOR/VE Y Patented July 7, 15.253

' r UNITED STATES PATENT? f OFFICE.

MULTIcoNTAoT sEmcoNDUc'roR y y DEVICE y Reymon'dxl.Kircher, Summit,iN. J., assigner to Y. Bell Telephone Laboratories', Incorporated,-New e York, N. Y., a.;corporation of New York Application August 117, 1949,serkiai No; 110,726

e'oiaims. v(c1. 317-236.).

` Thisinvention relates tofsemiconductor signal translating devices.

One generalY objectoi this invention'is to simplify and reduce the cost of apparatusandcircuits including semiconductor signal translating devices. More specifically, one object of this invention is to enable the performance of a variety of electrical functions with a compact unitary semiconductor device composed of a small number of elements.

In accordance with one feature of thislnvention, the translating device comprises a body of semiconductive material such as germanium or silicon and a plurality of electrical connections thereto,- the connections -beingf constructed and arranged' to `deiinevvith'- the body independent translating units operablesimultaneously Withoutinteraction -vvithleach other.l For example, the 'connections maybe associatedwith the body in such mannerV as to" define @therewith amplifier and detector units or two amplier units. lIn onespeci'c and illustrative embodiment oft-his invention, the devicecomprises a disc vor wafer of N conductivitytype high rback voltage germanium lvvhichl may-be produced in the manner 4disclosed in theapplication, Serial No. 638,- 351, now Patent No. 2,602,211, le'd December 29, 1945, of J .Y HfSca and H. C. Theuerer, havinglan ohmic or base connection Ato theperiphery vthereof. bearing against-one face of the disc or wafer and serving as emitter and collector connections which together with the base-connection andthe body denne a semiconductor amplifier of ythe general type disclosed in r'the application, Serial No. 33,466gnowV Patent No...2,524,-035, filed June 17, 1948, of J. Bardeen and Brattain. The device comprises further a point contact'bearing against the opposite face of the disc or wafer and constituting with the body and the'base connection a rectifier or detector unit. The latter andthe lamplifier unit may befassociated by appropriate external connections to constitutean audio frequency orradio frequency"amplifier-de-y tectorcombination or to define an amplfierwith automatic volume control.

In another speciiicV and illustrative embodi- 'mentof this invention, two pairs of point con-g tacts arek provided, eachy pair bearing. against a respective. facezofthe discl or Wafer and constituting with the body and the base connection a triode amplifier unit of the general type aforementioned. The two amplifier units may be associated in cascade or push-pull relation.

The invention and the above-noted and other features thereotwill'be understood more clearly and fully from the'following detailed description With reference tothe. accompanying drawingin which:

Fig. l is an elevational view partly in section Itcomprises also a pa-irof point contacts scribed distance.

of a semiconductor signal translatingdeviceiili' lustrative of one embodiment of thisinventio'n and including amplifie-r and detector units;

Fig. 2"is a sectionalwviewvY of the devicetakenf along `line- 2 2 of Fig. 1 i

Fig. 3 kis an elevational view similar.v to'Fi'g: .l ofl a translating device illustrative of another embodiment Aof this invention and comprisingltwo amplifier units;- l

Fig- 4vis `a view partly in `section along-llinefAa-alf of the: device illustratedlin Fig. 3;; Fig.=5'isa perspective View. of adevice illus-3 trativeof still 'another-L embodiment ofi this' in?. vention, a portionfoi 'the-housing; and: one-.fof

the internal elements `being -brokerr away-to show' ther internal structurefmorefclearly; and v.

Fig. 6v is a circuitvschematic'illustratingione manner in which a device constructediinaccord-i tanoewith this invention may besutilizedzl..

Referring nowA tothe drawingythe signalltrans-- letting-deviceS illustrated 4inrFigsfl and` `2 co1ns.- prises a cylindrical metallic housing. I 0 Aand-annee tallic mounting ring :I I `intermediatertheJendsfof the housing Iand aixed thereto, `asby solder-i ing, to be electricallyintegral therewith. .'Sup.- ported in a recess inthe mountingrngV :I-I .isa circulary disc ory Wafer of semiconductlvenma terial which isjoined .to thevring. I I adiacentits periphery toy provide a low resistance electrical connection between the ringand disc. Fori/.example. the. ring-II may be of brassanditheadisc or Wafer vI2 o'f germanium andsecured.tozlthefring as -by asilver-based solder. Alternatively; the peripheral portion of the 'germanium'.discxmay have thereonaplating of'copper or nickel.r or rhodium which is soft'solderedl tovthefbrass ring Affxedwithin the housing vI Ilat opposite ends' thereof are a` pair` of insulating blocksorxdlscs IS-'and 1I 4,-for example, of polystyrenewhicl'imay be cemented to the housing .or a .resin 'compound which may be-'forcedinto v.the housing. ato aspre, VThe disc :I 4.-. has embedded therein apair lof leading-'in..conductors .I-5=.f.a.nd li'eachV of lWhich has lailixed thereto. -aL2respi-zctfwe spring "contact -I'1, thepointofiwhichsmay be chiseledge'd and .bears againstaone..faceyoffthe semiconductivetwafer I2 TheI otherinsulating disc I3 has'embedded therein 1a leading-in con# ductor IS-which `has connected :thereto .a `spring contact vrI 9; the pointed; or chisel-shap'ed'fend :of

which bears vagainst the oppositefa'ce of 'thef'semi atively remotefrom that inproximityitoftheconi y tact-point-l'l: p L

In a typical device, the semiconductive body l2 may be a disc f N-type germanium about 0.125 inch in diameter and 0.020 inch thick. The contacts I1 and I9 may be of 0.005 inch diameter material, for example, Phosphor bronze for contacts I1 and tungsten for contact I9, the oontacts I1 having chisel points spaced 0.002 inch and the contact I9 having a conical point. The contact I9 may bear against the body at a region substantially diametral with respect to the points of contacts I1 and spaced of the order of .10 inch therefrom on the opposite surface.

The contact points I1 serve as emitter and collector connnections and constitute, together with the base connection defined by the ring II and the body I2, a triode amplifier unit of the type disclosed in the application of J. Bardeen and W. H. Brattain heretofore identified. The contact I9, together with the base connection and the body I2, constitutes a diode rectifier or detector unit. The two units, it has been found, may operate concurrently with no interaction therebetween through the body I2, in circuits Where the body connection is common to the two units.

The device illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is generally similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and described hereinabove but comprises instead of a single contact I9 a pair of contacts 22 similar to the contacts I1 and bearing against the opposite face of the disc or wafer I2 at a region thereof remote from the points of the contacts I1. Each pair of contacts I1 or 22, together with the body I2 and the base connection defined by the mounting ring II, constitutes a triode amplifier. The two amplifier units are operable concurrently, for

example, in cascade or in push-pull relation,

without interaction through the body I2 between the two units.

The device illustrated in Fig. 5, similarly to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4 described hereinabove, comprises two triode amplifier units. However, the semiconductive body has therein a grain boundary 23 which divides the body into two portions I2A and I2B. Each pair of contacts I1 and 22, serving as the emitter and collector of the respective amplifier unit, bear against the respective face of the body at points on opposite sides of the grain boundary 23 whereby, as disclosed in detail in the application, Serial No. 98,008, now Patent No. 2,623,103, filed June 9, 1949, of R.. J. Kircher, the amplifier units have very low positive feedback impedance.

One manner in which the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and described hereinabove may be utilized is illustrated in Fig. 6. The unit, including the point contacts I1 and the base connection defined by the mounting ring I I, constitutes together with the semiconductor body I2 a radio frequency or intermediate frequency amplifier section. The tunable input circuit 30 is connected between one of the contacts I1 and the base connection II and a tunable output circuit 3| is connected between the other contact I1 and the base connection II. In structures where the body I2 is of N-type material, the point contact I1 serving as the emitter is biased at a low positive potential, for example, of the order of one volt or less, relative to the base II and the contact I.1 serving as the collector is biased negatively, for example of the order of to 100 volts, relative to the base II. As shown in Fig. 6, the base connection is grounded. The output of the amplifier unit is fed to the detector unit defined by the base connection I I and the point contact I9 together with the body I2. The input circuit of the detector unit includes the tunable LC conibination 33 and a radio frequency or intermediate frequency bypass condenser 3|. An audio output is obtained as indicated.

Although specific embodiments of this invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that they are but illustrative and that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. For example, although in the device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 a single point contact I9 is provided to define a single detector unit, two such contacts relatively widely spaced to prevent mutual interaction therebetween may be provided thereby to constitute with the body I2 and the base connection II a pair of detector units. Such pair of units may be electrically associated to define a push-pull detector stage coupled by external circuits to the amplifier unit of the device.

What is claimed is:

l. A signal translating device comprising a wafer of semiconductive material, an ohmic connection to said wafer adjacent the periphery thereof, point contact emitter and collector connections to one face of said wafer, and a point contact bearing against the opposite face of said wafer at a region thereof remote from said emitter and collector.

2. A signal translating device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body is of germanium. 3. A signal translating device comprising a wafer of germanium, an ohmic base connection to said wafer adjacent the periphery thereof, means including said base connection and a pair of closely adjacent point contacts bearing against one face of said wafer defining therewith an amplifier, and means including said base connection and a point contact bearing against the opposite face of said wafer at a region remote from said pair of contacts, defining a rectifier.

4. A signal translating device comprising a body of semiconductive material, an ohmic connection to said body, a pair of closely adjacent point contacts bearing against one face thereof, and a second pair of closely adjacent points contacts bearing against the opposite face of said body at a region remote from said first contacts.

5. A signal translating device comprising a wafer of germanium, an ohmic connection to said wafer adjacent the periphery thereof, a pair of closely adjacent point contacts bearing against one face of said wafer, and a second pair of point contacts bearing against the opposite face of said wafer.v

6. A signal translating device comprising a wafer of germanium having a grain boundary extending between the opposite faces thereof, an ohmic connection to said wafer adjacent the periphery thereof, a first pair of point contacts bearing against one of said faces on opposite sides of said boundary, and a second pair of point contacts bearing against the other of said faces on opposite sides of said boundary.

REYMOND J. KIRCH'ER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,438,893 Bieling Apr. 6, 1948 2,476,323 Rack July 19, 1949 2,486,776 Barney Nov. 1. 1949 2,502,479 Pearson et al. Apr. 4, 1950 

